Q&A: You Are What You Eat

You Are What You EAT!

Q. There is so much information available today on just about every topic imaginable. Sometimes my “analysis”of it all, leads to “paralysis”. How do I know what I need for my spiritual quest?

Mohanji:

“A: We are eternal consumers. We consume everything. We keep eating all the time. Most of our discussions are about food of some kind, such as food for the stomach, food for our mind, or food for our intellect. We either fill our stomach with a variety of food, or fill our mind with a variety of emotions, or cram our intellect with a variety of information or ideas.

Most of these “consumables” end up going to waste, since their quantity is usually greater than our capacity to process them. Overeating leads to various types of illnesses. All of us are “crammers” with respect to one or more of these aspects of our existence. Those who do not have any dependency on any of these three aspects are definitely considered as liberated.

Most of the food that the stomach gets to operate on is wasted, or stored as fat for future consumption. Most of the emotions that we carefully, and sometimes even gratefully consume, only tilt the equilibrium of our daily life. We are constantly making webs with our own emotions and we trap ourselves in it. With these emotions, we either get constipated, or we suffer from diarrhea!!!. Most of the food that the intellect consumes is also unused. It is either forgotten or is converted into Ego.

Furthermore, we live a self-centered existence as far as food is concerned. We are usually in competition with others. We are in a hurry to cram more. We are proud of our capacities. We are proud of our “vault”.

The choice is indeed yours. Who are you? What is your choice of expression? Is this the life you have been looking for? When you meet your friends or relatives, what do you normally talk about? Is it about the cuisine in various restaurants, tasty food or the best of wines? Is it about the emotions related to soap operas, about the fight that your neighbours are engaging in/enjoying, or is it about the books that you have read recently, the courses that you attended, some intellectual talk or some Guru’s gospel?

Ultimately though, only you could see where you stand. You are your own guru. If you know where you stand and what your destination is, then the journey is easy. However, if you think that you don’t know, that you don’t understand, or if you pretend to be someone or something, then you are feeding your own ego and your journey will not be easy. So, you must see where you stand. That is the exact point (only point) from where you can start walking. You cannot walk from a different point, unless someone else carries you there. Then, it is not your free will, anyhow.

If you are always thinking and talking about food and restaurants, then you are very much on the terrestrial plane. You are relatively gross in nature. Yes, you could become a “connoisseur” of food. No problem. But still, it is obvious that your operating plane is relatively gross.

If you are operating on the emotional plane, even if you are into social service, unless there is detachment, you are still operating in the denser mode. It is relatively better than the physical gross plane of a consumer of food. But, unless there is detachment in emotions, there cannot be liberation. Tears should well in the eyes, but not overflow.

If you are operating in the intellectual plane, it is another story. Usually, you are craving for an opportunity to vomit your knowledge from books or other people. This certainly binds you. You cannot detach from this dire need to talk a lot. Arguments and debates happen. Ego shoots up. Enmity and competition takes shape. Man suffers. Those unfortunate people who are destined to suffer from your verbal diarrhea, will pray to God that this seed of His be removed from earth!!! As the knowledge gets converted into ego, man alienates himself from God.

And then, there is another one. A rare species. He is not bound by any of the above cravings. He is happy if all these types of food are provided. He is also happy in the absence of all these kinds of food. His existence does not depend on Gross food, emotional food or intellectual food. All three faculties are kept relatively empty. He never suffers from indigestion of any kind. He has the capacity to say NO and walk away. He does not suffer fools gladly. He feels and helps without expectations. He is self-sufficient. SELF – sufficient.

He loves unconditionally. He never operates on the plane of gross ego and remains unassuming and many times undemonstrative. His watchdog is conscious awareness. He is objective towards life. He is always aware of who he is and what is he here for. He does not become fascinated by any glitter on this earth. He sees through everything. He has no Do’s and Don’ts. He is never too bound by any habits. Like water, he remains fluid, flexible.

He is liberated. He will have no regrets at the time of death. He craves for nothing. He will leave peacefully, without leaving anything pending. No wishes, No dreams, No desires. Pure and Simple existence.